I Reject Quests

"Gavin, Brooke. Assault the target as soon you see him. Don't let him have the opportunity to escape!" Kennard shouted while running.

First floor…

Second floor…

Third floor…

Fourth floor…

Eventually, they arrived on the fifth floor.

"North-west, is it?" Jennifer pointed to a corner.

"Yes, David should be there." Having been in the location previously, Marla felt familiar.

The group sprinted.

"..."

When they arrived at the spot, no one could utter a single word.

***

A minute ago.

As Rewen was deciding on the best hiding place, he failed to notice a figure behind him standing up. 

The figure's entire body was dyed in red. He looked completely like a beast that broke free from a cage. However, the eyes of the figure were as calm as water. Not making a single noise, he walked towards Rewen and slowly stretched his palm to touch his opponent's back.

'Dammit!' It was the last thought of Rewen's mind before he flew off and crashed into a room.

*Baam*

'This… is bad.' Rewen could feel his blood reaching his mouth and slowly sipping out from his lips, making his face turn pale. 'I can't feel my back but thankfully, none of my bones is broken.' Even so, the pain is almost unbearable to him. It reminded him of the time when he fought Ruby and got numerous of his bones broken. This time, he was a little better.

Biting his lips, he tried to get up. 'I have to get serious.' He planned to use [Boost] even though he couldn't control it very well.

But just as he was half-kneeling and was struggling to get up, an excruciating pain enveloped his abdomen. 

"Kah!" He was to spit out saliva with his mouth hanging open. 

His hair was grabbed and lifted. 

"Do you have any idea what this is?"

Rewen's eyes were half-closed and apathetic. There was nothing he could do with his own strength. For some reason, David's physical strength has increased by at least 50%. Even with his average stats of 17, the most he could do is fight on par with him. When [Boost] is used, the particular stats increased by 20-25% which isn't nearly enough.

"So you don't know? Very well, eat shit!" Grabbing by the neck, David picked up Rewen's body with ease. 

"Murgh…" It was very difficult for him to breathe. 

*Baam*

His body again crashed with a wall. This time, three of his bones broke. Two of them supported the back. He struggled to get up but every time he did, he would fall over because of his broken bones.

David had no expression on his face. Taking large strides, he approached Rewen. "Do you feel regret? Are you in pain?" He blandly asked.

Rewen didn't answer and held his pants to get up. 

However, it was not fruitful as he didn't have any strength left on his body.

David looked down with cold eyes and kicked.

"Argh!" Groan leaked from Rewen's mouth. He was on the verge of fainting.

"Do you feel that your life is unfair?" Squatting down, David grasped Rewen's neck.

Rewen started struggling.

David threw him again. "Resistance will only fasten your impending death." He then slowly walked to look at the red-haired figure.

"What… is this skill…?" Rewen barely managed to voice out a muffled voice.

"Is this your last wish?" 

"..."

David frowned slightly, then opened his mouth. "Well, listen carefully. This is a one-time use skill. I call it [Explodie] but it is referred to as - [Core Sacrifice]. The reason it is called so is because it destroys the core Rank 1 Mages have along with their core skill. In return, it lets one use an enhanced version of the core skill for some time. Speaking of which, you haven't used your core skill till now. Do you not have it?" 

He paused, then took a look at his opponent's expression. "From your expression, it looks like you don't even know what a core skill is. I don't have the time and patience to educate you on this but just know that not every Rank 1 Mages have a core but to progress in the [Mage] path, having a core is a must. Cores have many features. One of them being a "Core Skill". My core skill is [Pore Explosion] and when I use to break the core, it becomes like this.

"Of course, using this has side-effects. After using this, your body would become weak for a couple of hours and since your core is destroyed, you can't use your core skill. To use core skill again, I have to rebuild a core. I hope that answers your question."

David bent down and without any words, pulled in for a punch. "Not the best way to die but I don't use any weapons so sorry, I guess."

*Swish*

David blinked. 

He saw his surroundings spinning. 

He tried to feel his arm but for some reason, couldn't.

Two seconds later. 

He saw his body.

But it was far away.

By the time he came to his senses, his eyes were already closed.

The body lying by his side got up. From the very moment, he had been hit, he had started casting [Petal Dance]. While David was telling him about core skills, he had already finished casting [Petal Dance] and thus, started healing. Fortunately, it is a [High-Regenerative] type skill that restored his HP and stamina within seconds. 

Rewen had a small blade on his hand. He slowly walked over to David's head and looked at it apathetically. "I know you aren't dead yet but it's only a matter of time for you to die. However…" He lifted his legs. "Also, not the best to die, I know. I use weapons but I'm not going to use them so sorry, I guess."

*Scruch*

He stomped his right feet on the head without any hint of hesitation. His eyes were the coldest it had ever been. But this coldness wasn't directed to the man he killed. He didn't feel any joy or satisfaction in killing him, only boundless anger. 

He was angry about himself.

He was angry about his circumstances.

He was angry that he is still weak.

He was angry that he had to go against principles to save himself.

All of this anger had a single source - devil woman!

'For her own personal enjoyment, she designed this. For her, everything she is doing is a fucking game! Lives and deaths are simply a toy for her to play with! She doesn't care if I live or die. She is so arrogant that she couldn't tolerate someone who doesn't agree with her. Since you have forced me to dirty my hands… Luciana, don't blame me in the near future.'

Taking a deep breath, he shook off the thoughts from his mind and looked at the unrecognizable mess.

"Thanks for teaching me to be decisive in killing."

Rewen rotated his arms and stretched his back producing a couple of crunching sounds of bones. "Well then… I should go back quickly."

"That's where you are wrong, kid."

Startled, Rewen turned his head and saw the two entire squads standing at a distance while looking at him. 'It seems like I was too late. I'm not sure if it will work again…'

As if knowing his thoughts, Kennard let out a sigh. "If you are thinking about jumping from the window and escaping, you should forget about it.'

Rewen had an indifferent expression. He went near the window and knocked it.

*Ting*

*Ting*

"Doesn't look like that."

Kennard smiled. "Try it."

Rewen punched on the window.

*Boom*

Not a single scratch appeared.

Rewen had the same indifferent face. His eyes went past all the people in the group.

There were Gavin and Brooke who took a stance. Rewen felt like if he took a single step back, he would be immediately caught.

There was Violet who, for some reason, stretched her arms. 'She probably has something to do with the windows.'

There was Kennard who was carrying Lane with a small smile. 

There was Jennifer. She was at the farthest back standing still.

At last, there's Marla who had no discernible expression. She quietly looked at the headless body lying on the floor. 

'There is no escape.' Rewen concluded. It didn't require a genius to figure this out. If there were a single person, he could handle it. If there were two, he could manage and run but the story changes if there were three or more people after him.

'Of course. This is bound to happen. What did I expect? Defeating them one by one and leaving? Unfortunately, this isn't a game or movie where I have the convenience to defeat my opponents one by one. If I want to survive, I…' Rewen's gaze flickered.

Kennard signalled the others with the wave of his hand.

Gavin and Brooke stepped forward.

Violet's hands tightened. 'I can't let him escape no matter what.'

"Let's end this with a single fight, shall we?" Kennard asked with a broad smile.

Hearing this, a smile crept up on Rewen's face as well. "Nope." With that, he turned around and fled.